Senate approves federal changes for state schools

Legislation bringing Nevada into compliance with federal education requirements has advanced out of the state Senate and will be reviewed next by an Assembly panel.

Senators scaled back the original bill's cost and ambitious scope after comments and complaints from school districts and educators.

"Once it was introduced and everybody started with their calculators, they condensed it to be as close to the (federal) law as possible," said state schools chief Jack McLaughlin.

The No Child Left Behind Act passed by Congress in 2001 holds schools accountable for student achievement. States must devise and offer tests in reading and mathematics for every child each year in grades 3-8, beginning in fall 2005. Under current law, states are required to test students in reading and math three times during their K-12 years.

Every state is required to submit to the federal Education Department its plan to add accountability and other changes. The department has approved plans by 20 states, many of which are to be implemented through regulatory changes.

Because Nevada already had so many testing and accountability requirements in statute, it couldn't win approval from the federal government until SB191 is signed into law.

"If we didn't have a bill, then we would have two competing operations going on," McLaughlin said.

The revised 116-page measure implements federal law and new testing timelines, and limits consequences for poor performance -- including low student test scores -- to about a quarter of Nevada schools.

Such consequences, ranging up to closure of a school, would take effect only in federally funded Title I schools. Most are in the Las Vegas area.

School districts and the state Department of Education estimate passage of SB191 will cost the state about $9 million a year -- money that was not included in the governor's budget. Despite Nevada's revenue shortage, it was approved unanimously in the Senate on Monday and is expected to easily pass the Assembly.

Nevada expects the federal government to help fund the most expensive required changes, said Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno. But many federal and state lawmakers have complained states won't get enough.

Raggio said if money is short, "that's something we'd have to address with Congress."